Proposition 99 was a California statewide referendum passed in 1988 which raised the excise tax on tobacco sales. Proposition 99 added an additional 25 cent tax on each package of cigarettes and a proportional tax increase on other tobacco products. This tax raised California's tobacco tax to be among the highest in the United States. Previous efforts to raise the tax on tobacco by referendum had included Propositions 5 and 10. Behind Proposition 99 was a coalition of health and environmental organizations and activists calling themselves the Coalition for a Healthy California (CHC).Among the participants in the pro-99 campaign were the American Cancer Society,American Heart Association,American Lung Association,Americans for Nonsmokers' Rights,California Association of Hospitals and Health Systems,California Medical and Dental Associations,Planning and Conservation League of California.and the The opposition group, funded by the tobacco industry, was known as Californians Against Unfair Tax Increases.

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